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MAP:HEMy Accredited Pathway: Higher Education
Handbook (2020/21)
Contents1. Useful contacts..................................................................................................................................3
2. What is MAP:HE and what is it for?..................................................................................................4
2.1 The benefits of HEA Fellowships..................................................................................................4
2.2 The UKPSF and the four categories of HEA Fellowships..............................................................5
2.3. The MAP:HE Direct Route...........................................................................................................5
2.4 The MAP:HE Taught Route: UCAP and PGCAP credit-bearing courses........................................6
2.5 Individual Pathways Opportunities between the two Routes......................................................6
3. Preparing your MAP:HE Direct Route claim.......................................................................................9
3.1 The United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF)..............................................9
3.2 Composition of the claim for each category..............................................................................13
3.3 Support available for your submission.......................................................................................16
3.3.1 Initial stages: people to contact and sessions to attend.....................................................16
3.3.2 Resources on MAP:HE Blackboard......................................................................................17
3.3.3. The mentor........................................................................................................................17
3.3.4 The planning stages............................................................................................................18
3.4 Collation of evidence for your claim..........................................................................................19
3.5 What makes a strong claim?......................................................................................................21
4. The submission process...................................................................................................................22
4.1 Formative submission (optional)...............................................................................................22
4.2 When and how do I submit summatively?.................................................................................22
4.3 How is my claim assessed?........................................................................................................22
4.3.1 The outcome.......................................................................................................................23
4.3.2 The role of assessors...........................................................................................................24
4.3.3. Framework Review and Annual Verification Board...........................................................25
4.4 Appeals and Complaints............................................................................................................27
5. Beyond the Fellowship award..........................................................................................................27
5.1 Registration with Advance HE....................................................................................................27
5.2 Remaining in good standing......................................................................................................28
6. Personal data...................................................................................................................................28
7. Recommended reading...................................................................................................................28
This handbook will help you to understand the benefits of seeking HEA fellowship, to determine the right category of fellowship for you and how to prepare your submission.
1. Useful contacts
Central contacts Dr Cécile Hatier (SFHEA): MAP:HE Director; Assistant Director of Learning and Teaching Claire Haines: Learning and Teaching Enhancement (LTE) and MAP:HE Lead Administrator
Faculty Directors of Learning and Teaching
Julie Taylor (SFHEA), Medicine, Health and Social Care. Dr Susan Kenyon (SFHEA), Science, Engineering and Social Sciences TBC: Arts, Humanities and Education
UCAP/PGCAP
Chloe Courtenay (SFHEA), Programme Director Jack Charter, Programme Administrator ([email protected])
Welcome to the Canterbury Christ Church University HEA accredited schemes, where you will find a personal route for development as a higher education practitioner. Whatever your role in supporting student learning, as an academic, researcher or professional services staff member, you can participate in the scheme and gain recognition and/or qualification in higher education learning and teaching. Learning and Teaching Enhancement (LTE) manage the schemes and will be supporting you throughout your journey.
2. What is MAP:HE and what is it for?
Canterbury Christ Church University is accredited by Advance HE to award its staff (and staff at strategic collaborative partners) HEA fellowships. Our simple, structured application process will help you achieve the fellowship you want with support in every step of the way. This section will inform you of the benefits of holding a Fellowship, what the different categories of Fellowship are, and what the two routes to achieving Fellowship are at CCCU.
2.1 The benefits of HEA Fellowships
Becoming a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA, now renamed “Advance HE”) means joining an internationally recognised network of professionals working in higher education. Professional status and recognition have never been more important. Your colleagues and peers, here at Christ Church and across the HE sector, are demonstrating their professional commitment and excellence by gaining HEA Fellowship status. They are finding that HEA Fellowship status is career enhancing. Many employers are looking for Fellowship status as a condition of promotion and appointment. They know that Fellowship status demonstrates that you have the competence, based on both knowledge and experience, to teach or support learning in Higher Education.
Applying for Fellowship status can enhance your career in other ways, too. The application process gives you the space to look back over your achievements and accomplishments, enabling you to build on that base and identify your next career goal, by highlighting where your strengths lie.
However, the main benefit of the HEA Fellowship in any category is a personal one. The process of preparing for and writing a claim, or undertaking a taught course, will give you a unique opportunity to reflect on your academic practice and develop an academic identity. It can focus your interests, provide inspiration for innovation and research in higher education. Whichever route you choose, the core characteristic you will develop is critical and reflective practice, typical of all professionals committed to a cycle of review and enhancement.
When you become a fellow of any category, you also become part of a network within CCCU as well as nationally. The university is committed to building a vibrant learning community and our fellows play an important role in supporting that process. They contribute through the work they do in partnership with students, often innovating and sharing teaching excellence. They support new staff and can become involved in the MAP:HE scheme, mentoring staff and working as an assessor of new claims.
Finally, there is a huge benefit to students to have a qualified and committed staff group. Students have to develop their academic knowledge and skills, often learning to study in unfamiliar ways, but they are also expected to develop personal qualities to make them more employable, able to cope within diverse workforces in a digital world. As a university which values transformative education of the whole person, our graduate attributes also promote an ethos of inclusion, social justice and sustainability. Fellowships encourage you to think about how all parts of your teaching and student engagement are designed to help your students achieve their best possible outcomes.
2.2 The UKPSF and the four categories of HEA Fellowships
Advance HE, formerly the Higher Education Academy (HEA), is the UK national body which champions teaching quality. Its mission is to improve learning outcomes by raising the quality and status of teaching in higher education as an essential driver for student success. The Advance HE fellowships scheme enables individuals and institutions to continuously develop teaching quality.
The sector-agreed core standards for teaching at different stages of an individual’s career are also held by Advance HE and are known as the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF, 2011). The UKPSF is used as the basis for preparing for and evaluating claims for the different categories of fellowship.
The categories of fellowship and the typical characteristics of people who engage with them are:
Associate Fellow: ability to take on teaching or learning support responsibilities, with or without support, and to demonstrate understanding of the context and values of higher education.
Fellow: ability to demonstrate a broad-based effectiveness in all aspects of learning and teaching within their discipline, including assessments and the use of learning technology, and show understanding of the processes, context and values of higher education.
Senior Fellow: ability to demonstrate evidence of a sustained level of effectiveness in learning and teaching and have significant evidence of co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring of others in relation to HE learning and teaching.
Principal Fellow: ability to demonstrate sustained and effective impact at a strategic level in relation to HE learning and teaching, at an institutional level and often with a significant national or international profile.
The university is accredited to award all categories of fellowship except Principal Fellow. If you are particularly interested in pursuing a Principal Fellowship, you will receive support from us to prepare your claim, but will apply for it directly to Advance HE. You should contact the MAP:HE Director for further information.
To find out which category of fellowship is more suited to you given your experience and current roles, it is recommended that you use the Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool. Through a series of questions, you will be able carry out a self-assessment of your own achievements (present but also in the recent past and future) and therefore decide which category to apply for.
2.3. The MAP:HE Direct Route
If you have more than three years’ experience of sustained teaching or supporting learning within HE (this includes HE in FE, and teaching at Foundation Year level), you can prepare a direct claim for any category of fellowship, as appropriate to your role. You will be supported in preparing your claim by your Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching (FDLT), by LTE (Learning and Teaching Enhancement), and by a mentor if you wish to have one.
If you are a CCCU member of staff, there is no cost for submitting a claim, unless you are submitting direct to Advance HE for Principal Fellow. You should consult with your Head of School or Dean to ascertain whether your Faculty may be prepared to fund the costs of your PFHEA claim.
If you are a member of staff in one of CCCU’s strategic collaborative partner institutions, delivering one of CCCU’s courses, and your institution does not have its own membership to Advance HE, you
can apply for Fellowships through the MAP:HE Direct Route, but once the fellowship has been awarded by CCCU, you will need to pay Advance HE a fee to gain your award and diploma (fee levels can be found on the Advance HE website.
2.4 The MAP:HE Taught Route: UCAP and PGCAP credit-bearing courses
CCCU staff with less than three years’ experience of substantive teaching, or supporting learning, within HE, should undertake one of the university’s validated courses, the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) or the University Certificate in Academic Practice (UCAP) which provide new academic and professional services staff grounding in contemporary HE academic practice. For new academic staff, completing the PGCAP is a contractual requirement if you have never taught in HE.
The UCAP is a short course (20 level 7 credits, consisting of the first module of the PGCAP) which provides an introduction to learning and teaching, student support and engagement and the structures and context of HE. On successful completion, you are automatically awarded an Associate Fellowship.
The PGCAP is a longer course (60 level 7 credits), which provides more in-depth knowledge and specialised skills in academic practice, with greater focus on curriculum design and with the opportunity to carry out a potentially publishable piece of research. On successful completion, you are automatically awarded a Fellowship.
The university also offers an MA in Academic Practice and while this does not confer an automatic Senior Fellowship, modules will provide an advanced knowledge base as well as a specific module on academic leadership.
If you are a member of staff teaching on a CCCU course in a partner institution for at least 50 hours a year, you are also eligible to take part in the UCAP taught route. You will need to discuss with your manager whether you can get time off to complete this course.
More information on the UCAP/PGCAP can be found on the UCAP/PGCAP pages.
2.5 Individual Pathways Opportunities between the two Routes
There is scope to create an individual pathway using the taught and direct routes. You could choose to gain a qualification through the taught route, and then use this to build evidence toward a Senior Fellowship as your role changes. You can begin the direct route but decide that to fill a gap in your knowledge or skills, you will attend the PGCAP. There are also many specific offerings through LTE and Staff Development, which you could draw upon to improve certain weaker areas, such as the use of technology, or to build new skills, such as in academic leadership.The chart below illustrates the various options possible to you.
Illustration of the routes to achieving HEA Fellowships at CCCU
Below are some illustrative examples of how you might design your individual accredited pathway:
Case Example 1: DouglasDouglas is a lecturer in Geography. He joins CCCU following completion of his PhD, and has never taught in HE. As a new lecturer, he successfully completes the PGCAP, and is awarded an HEA Fellowship. He is now leading modules and has been asked to undertake a role as course director, and on the strength of having a Fellowship, he is then promoted to Senior Lecturer. Douglas is ambitious and decides that he wants to build a career as an academic leader. Over the next two years, he undertakes Staff Development training in academic leadership, mentoring and coaching and employability initiatives. He uses these to improve the course he is now leading by enhancing the confidence of his academic team to build work-based learning into the course. He publishes two articles on HE pedagogy. He uses this as evidence for his claim for Senior Fellow.
Case Example 2: ShahinaShahina is a liaison librarian working closely with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. She knows a lot about the literature base, supports the academics teaching on the courses and also runs workshops in information literacy for students. She wants to understand more about the processes around learning and teaching because she would like to feel better equipped to deal with specific queries. She undertakes the UCAP and gains her Associate Fellowship. While on the UCAP, she realises that she could do a lot more to support the courses she works with by developing strategies to embed information literacy into the curriculum. She uses the Staff Development offers in learning technology to improve her digital media skills and starts up a blog to encourage critical reading and develops some resources for course Blackboards. She does another workshop in research methods and evaluates some of her innovations and presents her work at a conference. She now has enough evidence to prepare a claim for Fellowship.
Case Example 3: StefanStefan has been an academic for 12 years and is currently a Senior Lecturer in Bioscience. He has never done a formal qualification in HE learning and teaching and has learned on the job with support from colleagues. He leads an undergraduate and a postgraduate course and supervises doctoral candidates. He has always achieved good results in relation to student outcomes, but is beginning to feel that higher education is changing rapidly. He notices that most of his newer colleagues are undertaking a taught course in learning and teaching and are talking enthusiastically about different ways of teaching that they are trying out. The students are clearly responding well to these and he can see through evaluations on his courses that they appreciate the enthusiasm. He decides to use the opportunity to apply for a Senior Fellowship to reflect on his career to date. He has a sound evidence base for his teaching, supervision and academic leadership but would like to update his skills on using learning technology and designing an inclusive curriculum. He attends some staff development workshops such as the Impact Leadership Programme, and the Canterbury TELs and gains support from his Digital Academic Developer (DAD), (formerly Faculty Learning Technologist (FLT), to embed the use of technologies in his modules. Once he completes his Senior Fellowship, he will be eligible to apply for a Principal Lecturer position.
3. Preparing your MAP:HE Direct Route claim
In this section, you will find key information to guide you as you prepare your claim for the MAP:HE Direct Route. The UKPSF is explained in more detail. The structure of the claims, for each category of fellowship, is also presented in detail. Finally, this section describes what and who can support you during the process leading to submission.
3.1 The United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF)The UKPSF was developed through consultation across the UK Higher Education sector and is housed by Advance HE. It is primarily designed to be used flexibly by individuals and institutions as a recognised benchmark for higher education practice in teaching and supporting learning. It should not, however, be mistaken for a competency framework with fixed definitions and performance criteria. The framework is designed to be open to a degree of interpretation to allow contextualisation of roles, institutions and circumstances. For this reason, you might initially find the descriptions of the expectations a bit vague and feel the need for greater clarification. You will be supported in understanding the framework and how best to evidence your claim, and additional guidance on the UKPSF is available on the MAP:HE Blackboard site (“UKPSF” Folder).
The UKPSF is a simple way of representing a highly complex and dynamic practice. For this reason, people speak of ‘engaging’ with the framework. It has two key components:
1. The four descriptors (D1-D4): They describe different types of practice and correspond to the different categories of fellowship: Associate Fellow (D1), Fellow (D2), Senior Fellow (D3) and Principal Fellow (D4). There are common elements to all four descriptors but as you engage with them, you will see that they build upon each other. Each has their specificities, and you do not necessarily have to have engaged with one category before you attempt to submit a claim for another category. Which category you choose will depend on your role and responsibilities in relation to learning and teaching and your experience in the past five years.
Associate Fellow (D1) requires an understanding of ‘specific’ aspects of effective learning and teaching, along with the beginning of a reflection of how the scholarship/research and CPD influence your practice.
The Fellowship category (D2) requires a ‘broad’ understanding of all fifteen dimensions of the UKPSF, as well as successful engagement with appropriate teaching practice, incorporation of scholarship and CPD.
Senior Fellowship (D3) is more suited to established members of an academic team), who must provide a ‘sustained’ record of effectiveness in relation to learning and teaching. Amongst other elements, demonstration of successfully influencing the L&T practice of other peers through co-ordination, management, mentoring, is required.
Principal Fellowship (D4) (for which you will have to apply directly to Advance HE), is for highly experienced professionals, able to provide evidence of a sustained and effective record of impact at a strategic level in relation to teaching and learning, as part of a wider commitment to academic practice (University level and beyond).
2. The three dimensions of practice: Areas of Activity (A), the Core Knowledge (K) and Professional Values (V). They form the core of all good practice for those who teach and/or support learning in HE.
The tables below summarise the content of all dimensions and four descriptors. The second table is also available on the MAP:HE Blackboard in a printer-friendly version. The self-assessment tool, available on Blackboard, replicates the UKPSF table, and we encourage you to have it alongside you as you work on your claim, to avoid missing out any element. The first table focuses on the three Descriptors available at CCCU, and gives more information about the experience you would normally have to be able to apply for each (though the list is not exhaustive)
Category
Distinguishing features
Evidence required Typical Roles
AFHEA
D1
Understanding specific aspects of effective teaching, student support & student learning.
Does not require someone to be covering all aspects of typical academic practice.
At least two Areas of Activity (As);
At least K1 & K2 of Core Knowledge;
All relevant Professional Values
Relevant professional practices, subject and pedagogic research and/or scholarship relevant to the above
Engagement with CPD relevant to L&T
Sessional or part-time teaching staff
PhD student tutors
Technicians, demonstrators, practice educators
Professional Services staff supporting learning in central services e.g. learning development, library services, learning technologists
FHEA
D2
Broad understanding of effective approaches to teaching & learning support.
Requires someone to be involved in all aspects of typical academic practice at the curriculum level
All dimensions of the UKPSF must be evidenced
Incorporation of subject and pedagogic research and/or scholarship relevant to the above
Engagement with CPD relevant to L&T
Substantive teaching responsibilities (which may include work-based support).
Module leaders, curriculum developers
Specialist professional services contributing to curriculum-based learning e.g. employability, digital literacy, information literacy
SFHEA
D3
Thorough understanding of effective approaches to teaching &
All dimensions of the UKPSF must be evidenced
Incorporation of subject and pedagogic research and/or scholarship relevant to the above
Course directors; external examiners; Faculty/School level L&T leaders including champions/ specialist
learning support
Sustained evidence of influencing others’ HE teaching & learning practices
Engagement with CPD relevant to L&T
Essential to evidence D3.vii: Successful co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/ or mentoring of others (whether individuals and/or teams) in relation to teaching and learning
leads in employability, internationalisation, inclusive curriculum, retention, etc.
Course approval panel member or chair
Co-ordinators; mentors; L&T coaches
The UK Professional Standards Framework: Summary ViewAreas of ActivityA1 Design and plan learning activities
3.2 Composition of the claim for each categoryFor all categories of fellowship, you have the choice of submitting in two formats:
1) Either through a written submission, the length of which is detailed in the table below2) Or through a narrated recorded presentation or screencast, the length of which is also detailed
below
Category of Fellowship
Written submission Screencast/narrated PowerPoint submission
Associate Total wordcount: 1,500 words (with 10% leeway, so maximum of 1650 words)
Introduction to role and context (100 words)
2 x reflective commentaries on chosen Area of Activity (2 x 700 words)
Bibliography/list of references 2 references
Total length: 12 min (14 min max) Introduction to role and context (1
to 2 min) 2 x reflective commentaries on
chosen Area of Activity (2 x 5 min) Bibliography/list of references 2 references
Fellowship Total wordcount: 3,000 words (with 10% leeway, so maximum of 3,300 words)
Introduction to role and context (100 words)
5 x reflective commentaries on Activity dimensions (c. 580 words per Activity)
Bibliography/list of references 2 references
Total length: 20 minutes (22 min maximum)
Introduction to role and context (1 to 1 ½ min)
5 x reflective commentaries on Activity dimensions (5 x 4 to 4 ½ min)
Bibliography/list of references 2 references
Senior Fellowship
Total wordcount: 6,000 words (with 10% leeway, so maximum of 6,600 words)
Reflective account of professional practice (3,000 words)
2 x case studies (2 x 1,500 words)
Bibliography/list of references 2 references
Total length: 40 min (44 min max) Reflective account of professional
practice (c. 20 min) 2 x case studies (2 x c. 10 min) Bibliography/list of references 2 references
Regardless of which format you choose to submit your claim, you must demonstrate engagement with all items of the descriptor that you are applying for. Please follow the instructions on the “Submission form” on Blackboard for each category, to ensure that you have not missed out any sections, and do sign to confirm that the work is your own. We require that you put, at the end of each paragraph or on each slide supporting your claim, which Dimensions of the UKPSF this paragraph/section specifically refers to, using brackets which will look like “(A3, K4).” Exemplars on Blackboards give you a sense of how to use these effectively. It is advised not to list more than 3 or 4 dimensions at a time, as you must stress the most prevalent ones for that section/paragraph only.
Separate guidance is available on the MAP:HE Blackboard for those who submit a screencast, but do note that you must, in all cases, submit the form on Turnitin, with the bibliography/list of references, the two references and the link to your recording.
Format (two possibilities): Written claim: use the template form provided, and submit in Word doc format Screencast/narrated presentation: we advise that you use ReCap, the University Digital Learning
Capture service (also available to franchise partner institutions) to make the recording and edit. It is available on your work computer, but can also be downloaded for home or portable device use. For generic instructions on how to use ReCap, please check the “Help” button on Blackboard and/or book a ReCap training session via Staffspace. You must protect your recording with a password, which will be sent with the submission, and shared only with the internal and External assessors. For instructions on how to create a password, please refer to the guidance on Screencast submission on the MAP:HE Blackboard. You must still use the template form provide to submit your claim.
If you require an alternative format for submission due to specific needs or disability, this can be arranged with the MAP:HE Director who will agree the format with you to ensure that you are able to meet all required elements successfully.
Length of claimThe maximum length of your claim is stated in the table. For those submitting in writing: the wordcount does NOT include the bibliography/references and
two referee forms. However, it does include any boxes, tables and other insertions to the main body of the claim. These insertions are allowed and welcomed (a brief quote from a student, a colleague or external stakeholder, a table with student results in two different academic years, for example), but they are part of the wordcount. You must state your wordcount at the end of your claim. Assessors will stop reading the claim once you have passed the maximum length, so you need to ensure that you stick with the wordcount limit. There is a leeway of 10 %, as stated in the table on the previous page of this handbook.
For those submitting narrated presentations: You may comment on quotations, extracts, data, tables, etc. which will appear on the slides you have prepared. You must have your list of references/bibliography at the end of the claim, but do not need to comment on it. The same applies with references. Assessors will stop listening to your claim beyond the maximum time on the table in the previous page, so do ensure you time your presentation well. We recommend that you have a timer/stopwatch at hand which you look at as you record yourself. You are also entitled to edit your presentation, if you wish, before submission.
For both types of submissions: contrary to what happened in previous schemes, it is not possible to submit appendices, CVs, or any other documentation with your summative claim. You should therefore ensure that key evidence (such as data, quotations, etc.) is submitted as part of the claim.
Content of claim:Please refer to the additional guidance on Blackboard, and the exemplars, for detailed advice on what the content of your claim should cover. Do also check section 3.4 to ascertain which evidence to include in your claim. The claim should: Focus only on your work in higher education. If you work or have worked at educational levels
other than HE, these should not be the focus of your claim. The following count as HE work: engagement with students at level 4 or above; HE in FE (or college-based HE); teaching on a Foundation Year or on a CPD for students who are at HE level (e.g. English summer courses for international students embarking on undergraduate or postgraduate study).
Be a reflection on selected elements of your practice, and not a narrated CV covering everything you do in your job. Some elements of description are needed to give assessors an idea of the context, but they should be complemented by a reflection on your practice. When reflecting on your practice, you should usually start by explaining the reasons behind certain decisions you made (the “Why?”), followed by the content of the innovation or change to practice put in place (the “What?” and “How?”) and the impact of this change on the intended audience (students, colleagues, stakeholders) and on yourself (the “So what?”, evaluative stage).
To give but just one example, poor results on an assessment by a cohort of students who otherwise perform to the normal standards, and feedback from some students that the assessment task was not clarified clearly enough may lead you to revisit how you engage students with the assessment, include a formative activity similar to it, discuss with students the marking criteria for the assessment, and edit the brief made available to them online. You may also insert a short video on the ReCap section of Blackboard to summarise your advice of the assessment. You then monitor the results of the next cohort, and their feedback, and determine that the revisions you made have made a positive impact on students’ satisfaction and achievement for this assessment (or if not, try to determine why not).
Cover mostly the last five years of your role in HE. Elements older than this should only be discussed if they still have any repercussions on your practice and that of others today.
If you insert hyperlinks and weblinks to pages to illustrate what you have created, please note that assessors will not open the links. What they are interested in is your ability to sum up what you have done, and reflect on why you have done it and how to evaluate its success.
Two refereesAll claims will require two references: referees need to fill in a Referee Form, available on Blackboard. They will submit their reference to you, and you will insert them both into the file of your claim. The references aim to verify that you have represented your HE practice in a fair and genuine way throughout the application, following the requirements of the relevant Descriptor. For D1 and D2, the focus of the references should be on your learning, teaching and supporting learning practice. For D3, it is more on successfully coordinating supporting, managing and/or mentoring colleagues and peers. You need to carefully choose your referees, both of whom should know your HE practice well. As stated in the referee form, the referees will authenticate your practice in their references, so you should choose
colleagues who have witnessed your practice in the past, and provide your referees with a copy or a link to your claim when asking them to write the reference.
You must identify your referees early, and get in touch with them to check if they are happy to fill in the form for you. It is your responsibility to give plenty of time (at least 3 weeks) to your referees to complete their form, and it is also your responsibility to insert the references into your claim. Incomplete claims which are missing one or two references will not be considered, and you will need to resubmit the claim, with all references, for the next deadline. LTE will not chase missing references, and will not allow references to be submitted after the deadline, even with mitigating circumstances, as submission deadlines are always less than 3 months apart.
Your MAP: HE mentor cannot usually be your referee. One of the referees is your line manager/Head of School, or someone acting on their behalf. One of the referees should also hold the HEA Fellowship level (or equivalent) for which you are applying, i.e. if you are applying for Senior Fellowship, one of your referees should be a Senior Fellow. If your line manager holds a Fellowship at the right level, then the other referee does not need to hold any HEA Fellowship.
If you are struggling to find two referees who meet the criteria above, please contact the MAP:HE Director who will work with you to find a solution.
Submission of claim using Turnitin:
Turnitin submission points are set up on the MAP:HE Blackboard for each deadline (formative and summative). These are always at 2 pm and no late submission will be accepted. You cannot submit your claim by attaching it to an email as Turnitin authenticity checks are mandatory. Please submit in the correct Turnitin submission point, and submit ONE file only, which comprises of all the elements above merged into ONE document. Incomplete claims will not be considered, and you will have to resubmit them, with the elements missing, in the submission point for the next deadline.
You can submit your claim as many times as you want in the same Turnitin point, but only the last claim submitted will be saved. You will receive a receipt of your submission which you must keep. You are strongly advised not to wait until the last minute to check where the submission points are, and how to submit your claim, so that you can seek help if you are encountering a problem. Please note that technical support may not be immediately available.
3.3 Support available for your submission3.3.1 Initial stages: people to contact and sessions to attendWhen you decide to make a claim for fellowship in any category, you will be supported throughout the process. Initially you may be uncertain which category of fellowship is appropriate for your role and experience and may wonder what benefits having a fellowship will bring you. The Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool may help you, and you should also discuss your options with the people below.
Your first point of contact is (see names on p. 3):
For CCCU staff in Faculties: your FDLT
For CCCU staff in Professional services: the MAP:HE Director For staff at UK and International strategic partnerships: the Senior Academic Link Tutor (SALT) or
the UK Strategic Partners Manager.
The people above should be able to give you access to the MAP:HE Blackboard. If they haven’t, please contact the MAP:HE administrator.
Following a discussion with them, it is recommended that you attend a Briefing Session. These run every month and are available to book via Staffspace. If you cannot attend a Briefing, recorded sessions are available via the ReCap section on the MAP:HE Blackboard.
You may then request to be given a mentor (see section 3.3.3).
3.3.2 Resources on MAP:HE BlackboardOnce you have decided the type of fellowship you will pursue, you will map out an action plan, collect and organise your evidence and then write your claim. The MAP:HE Blackboard provides you with plenty of guidance which will help you complete your claim successfully
MAP:HE key staff contact details Dates for submissions (formative and summative) and boards, for the current academic year Dates for briefing sessions and writing retreats (but you must book your place via Staffspace) MAP:HE Handbook (also explained in short videos) Guidance on the UKPSF (including specific guidance for various categories of staff) Advance HE documentation on how to engage with the Dimensions of the UKPSF depending on
your role: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/download/dimensions-framework (e.g. for college-based Higher Education, for staff in supporting learning roles, for staff in Dance, etc.)
Exemplars of anonymised successful past claims, organised per descriptor category and per Faculty
Referee form and guidance Application Template (which should be referred to even if your submission is through the
narrated presentation format) List of sources to support your pedagogic reflection, broken down in themes A specific section for staff based at Collaborative Partners List of who the assessors are for the current academic year Glossary of key higher education terminology ReCap folder with recordings of briefing sessions Turnitin submission points for your formative and summative claims (including for those who
submit narrated presentations)
3.3.3. The mentorHaving a mentor is not compulsory, but highly recommended. They are allocated by the MAP:HE Director. Once your FDLT/yourself has requested a mentor for you, it may take up to two weeks to have a mentor allocated. Please let your FDLT/the MAP:HE Director know on which campus you are based, and we will endeavour to allocate a mentor on your campus (Medway, Canterbury or Salomons) unless you do not want to. For collaborative partner staff, your mentor is usually the SALT or UK Partnerships Manager.
If you are in a “supporting of learning role”, i.e. librarian, learning developer, instructor, demonstrator, careers manager, etc., please let the MAP:HE Director know, as there are mentors who have been specially trained to support colleagues in your role.
Your mentor is someone who holds at least the category of Fellowship you are applying for, and has been trained to perform the role and to have a detailed understanding of the UKPSF. They take part in refresh training each year and have access to a MAP:HE Mentor Handbook. They have agreed to take on one or several mentees per academic year, and most of them perform this role in their own time, because they wish to support colleagues as well as gain rewards from learning about other colleagues’ learning and teaching practice. It is therefore important that you discuss with them, at the outset, how much time they have to support you throughout the academic year. If you do not submit by the end of the academic year, the MAP:HE Director will contact you to check if you still need a mentor in the following year.
The role of the mentor is to guide you as you prepare your claim. This can be done through:
3) Discussions/meetings (face-to-face or digitally, especially through Teams, Skype or phone), during which they will help you plan your submission, act as a ‘sounding board’ for ideas you may have, but also provide additional guidance on the submission process if you are still unclear.
4) In addition to the annual peer observation (one minimum) that you must complete as part of your role, you can ask your mentor if they would be willing to observe you, or you may want to observe them. This is a very beneficial activity for both of you if you can spare the time.
5) Feedback on elements of the claim you give them: this can be provided via email, or during the meetings.
6) Feedback on ONE full claim. They will refer to the criteria and feedback sheet appropriate to the category. It is NOT their role to read through drafts after drafts of your claim, as they are not given the time to do so.
3.3.4 The planning stagesWith your mentor, or on your own, you should think carefully on how to plan your submission, using the chart below:
Be proactive and plan the various stages of your engagement:
• Inform your line manager or your appraiser to ensure you are engaging in the right kind of activities to support your claim
• Develop an appropriate CPD record to support your career aspirations and pathway (this is when updating your CV may be helpful, though you will not submit it)
• Use the self-assessment tool (available on Blackboard) to ensure that all relevant Dimensions, and all elements of the relevant Descriptor are covered
• Attend writing retreats to make progress on your claim along with others, with the support of experienced assessors (book via Staffspace)
• You should also check the LTE web pages to find appropriate developmental activities to attend that will support your claim and maximise evidence of your CPD
• In collaboration with your mentor (if you have one), agree a timetable and deadlines for formative and summative assessment. These can be reviewed, but it is helpful to make a commitment and work towards achieving your fellowship by a certain time.
3.4 Collation of evidence for your claimFinding and using appropriate evidence to demonstrate the impact of the claims you are making in your submission is an essential part of the work you will need to complete. Evidence takes various forms, and varies depending on your role, the context you work in, and the category of fellowship you are applying for. Evidence must be discussed in the body of the claim, as it is not possible to submit appendices in your claim. Assessors will not need to see official emails, documentations, websites, etc. They trust that the extracts you are referred to in your claim exist. For example, if you quote 3 lines from your External Examiner report, you only need to state, in brackets (External Examiner Report, 2019/20). For student feedback, you only need to state: “NSS results 2019, module evaluation form, April 2020, etc. Your referees are asked to authenticate your claim, and will inform assessors if they have any suspicion about the veracity of your claim.
When do I want to submit?
create a timelineset deadlinesget support in place
Make sure I know what's required
Familiarise yourself with UKPSF dimensions and descriptors required for category sought.Familiarise yourself with requirements of form of claimDecide which format your claim will takeConfirm reference(s)
Fill any gaps
Identify any further development needsAttend staff and/or professional development sessions
Depending on category of fellowship you are seeking, you will need to know which dimensions you need to evidence on and how these should be evidenced against the appropriate descriptor. If you refer to the summary guide in section 3.1 while doing this, you will find it easier. This is worth considering in conjunction with the descriptor because it helps to clarify what ‘appropriate’ evidence might mean in the descriptors. As previously stated, the UKPSF is deliberately designed to be flexible rather than a prescriptive set of competencies.
For example, look at the Associate (D1) and Fellow (D2) descriptors. They both require ‘successful engagement’ with Areas of Activity (for Associate this is for at least two areas, while for Fellow this is for all five). How does ‘successful engagement’ differ, apart from scope? If you look at the ‘typical role’, however, differences do emerge. While both may be designing and planning learning activities (A1) and teaching (A2), the Associate has ‘some teaching responsibilities’ while the Fellow has ‘substantive responsibility for teaching and learning’. This means that the Associate can provide evidence of planning one-off sessions or teaching a series of sessions planned by a more experienced colleague. The Fellow would have to provide evidence of planning at curriculum level for at least a discrete course of study, such as a module, so they could demonstrate how student learning develops over time through a sequence of learning strategies. Both could demonstrate it was ‘successful’ through providing student feedback, for example, or through the references.
For Senior Fellow (D3), you need to demonstrate a ‘thorough’ understanding of effective approaches to learning and teaching, which is more in-depth and widespread than the ‘broad’ understanding of Fellow (D2). You must also incorporate examples where you can demonstrate that you have had a positive influence over your colleagues’ teaching practice. The demonstration of successful co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring of others (D3.VII) must be integral to the claim, and be reflected in the other elements of descriptor 3 (I to VI).
For claimants for Fellowship and Senior Fellowship only, the table below provides some examples of evidence (not exhaustive):
* For Associate Fellowship claimants, other forms of evidence may be more appropriate, as you may not necessarily be able to access some of these, or may be supporting learning in settings that are not
Lesson, module or programme documentsExamples of student engagement activities
Evaluations by students, colleagues and external examiners
Testimonials
Scholarly activity related to learning and teaching (PGCAP, MA)
Research and dissemination through publication or conference
Running workshops on learning and teaching
Recognition and awards related to learning and teaching either institutional
(Golden Apples, University Teaching Excellence Awards) or external
Formal evaluations such as appraisalResults of national surveys
attributable to your involvement such as NSS, UKES, PTES
Examples of Types of Evidence for D2 and D3
only*
attached to a specific programme. You are advised to consult the Advance HE UKPSF Dimensions of the Framework guidance documents.
3.5 What makes a strong claim?While each category of fellowship requires a specific focus, there are some characteristics of strong claims which are worth noting:
Similarly, it is possible to identify some of the common characteristics of claims which are referred for further development and improvement:
Synergy: research/scholarly activity and professional activities (commitment to active, ongoing
and relevant CPD) Clarity of focus
Inclusion of references/bibliography
Genuine alignment to the UKPSF & currency of engagement in areas
of activity
Enthusiasm for learning and teaching
Good quality breadth and range of examples and case studies to illustrate and evidence your
activity including: student testimonials, module evaluation,
external examiner comments, peer observation comments, NSS/UKES/PTES scores
Creativity in approaches to LT&A
Evaluative and critical reflection around: What you do; Your
rationale; impact of your actions in the context of L&T (use of first
person) e.g. critical incident/s
Informed understanding of pedagogic approach either
through subject specialist lens, student feedback or other forms of evaluatory data and theory of L&T
Awareness of student position, needs and difficulties
Claim being appropriate for the category of recognition and which
explicitly demonstrates your strengths and
philosophy/professional values
An overly descriptive writing style
Too many examples which thin out depth
Examples which are not current (5 years old max)
Lack of strong rationale, reflection and evaluation
Lack of reference to students/student voice
(and of peer voice for D3.vii)
Not meeting all the requirement UKPSF Descriptor
Insufficient CPD and scholarshipLack of evidence of impact
For Senior Fellow, not meeting descriptor D3.vii
4. The submission process
4.1 Formative submission (optional)You are encouraged to submit your claim formatively. You can do so via Blackboard, using the Formative Turnitin submission point. Deadlines are set clearly for each submission point. You do not need to include the two references in your formative submission.
You can submit formatively once per academic year, and will receive feedback from one assessor who will use the same feedback sheet categories as those of the summative sheet. Your feedback will be emailed to you within about three weeks (longer if there are bank holidays or concessionary days). You will need to work on the developmental feedback (with the help of your mentor) before you submit your claim summatively.
Please note that following the formative feedback, we cannot guarantee that your claim will be successful at summative submission.
4.2 When and how do I submit summatively?You can submit your claim prior to deadlines published on the MAP:HE Blackboard at the beginning of each summer. There are about six deadlines a year. As per University practice, deadlines are always at 2 pm on the day.
For summative submissions, you must ensure that all mandatory sections of the claims are part of the one file that you submit (using the appropriate Turnitin submission point), including:
Main claim (for the narrated presentation submission, your PPT file should contain the link to the ReCap recording)
List of references/bibliography Section and signature that confirms that this is your own work Two references
If one of the above sections is missing, the claim will not be reviewed. You will be asked to resubmit your completed claim at the next available opportunity.
4.3 How is my claim assessed?The following diagram sums up the process through which all claims are reviewed:
The following sections explain, in more detail, each element of this diagram.
4.3.1 The outcome There are two types of outcomes (or judgement), regardless of the category of claim:
1. Award: when the claim meets the requirements of the relevant descriptor category.2. Return for further development: when the claim does not fully meet the requirements of
the relevant descriptor category, and require further development in areas which will be highlighted in the feedback provided. Additional development needed can relate to one element of the relevant descriptor, or several. You may be required to provide additional evidence of, for example: successful engagement with CPD; evidence of impact to demonstrate engagement with areas of activities or professional values; self-reflection which influences changes to your practice; for D3, engagement with criterion vii on influencing peers’ learning and teaching practice through co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring.
What you must do in the event that the outcome is “return for further development” is explained in section 4.3.3.
One possible outcome of a submission for Fellow is that it may be decided that although you do not demonstrate sufficient evidence for D2 and it would require significant development, you do have enough for D1 and can be awarded an Associate Fellowship. If you accept this, it would not prevent you from reworking and putting in a fresh claim for Fellow at a later date. This is not possible for D3.
4.3.2 The role of assessorsAll claims are assessed by assessors who will hold a Senior Fellowship for SFHEA claims, and at least Fellowship for AFHEA and FHEA claims. To avoid any conflict of interest, no claim will be assessed by an assessor who has mentored you, or someone who knows you closely for a variety of reasons (because, for instance, they are your current or former manager, they work, or have recently worked, very closely with you on a daily basis, or are related to you). Generally, we try to ensure that the assessors are from a different School than yours, and we ask them to declare any conflict of interest prior to them starting the assessment of any claim. However, given the size and culture of our community, it may be difficult to ensure your claim is assessed by someone who doesn’t know you.
The list of assessors for the current academic year is published on the MAP:HE Blackboard.
All assessors are trained and are using the appropriate criteria and feedback sheets available on Blackboard (which align to the relevant UKPSF Descriptor). Moderation, by the MAP:HE Director and the External Assessor, is in place to ensure consistency between assessors (a sample of about 30% of claims is moderated). The list of assessors for the current academic year is published on the MAP:HE Blackboard. The following table describes the judgement process for each category of fellowship:
Category Verification Process
Associate Claim reviewed by two trained assessors with at least Fellowship, who make recommendations at the Board.
Sample reviewed by the External Assessor prior to the Board Judgement of Award or Return for Further Development taken at
Framework Review Board (usually 5 working weeks after the submission’s deadline
If the claim is not an Award, the claimant can resubmit once in the same academic year.
Fellowship Claim reviewed by two trained assessors with at least Fellowship, who make recommendations at the Board.
Sample reviewed by the External Assessor prior to the Board Judgement of Award or Return for Further Development taken at
Framework Review Board (usually 5 working weeks after the submission’s deadline
If the claim is not an Award, the claimant can resubmit once in the
same academic year.
Senior Fellowship
Claim reviewed by two trained assessors with at least Senior Fellowship, who make recommendations at the Board.
Sample reviewed by the External Assessor prior to the Board Judgement of Award or Return for Further Development taken at
Framework Review Board (usually 5 working weeks after the submission’s deadline
If the claim is not an Award, the claimant can resubmit once in the same academic year.
Claims are put through Turnitin to check their authenticity, and if plagiarism is suspected, the MAP:HE Director will investigate further and follow the University’s plagiarism policy. Claims which are not an authentic submission will not be assessed.
Sometimes assessors find it hard to come to a consensus for a variety of reasons. They may interpret your claim, or the Descriptor’s criteria, slightly differently; or may not find your evidence of impact as convincing as other assessors. Discussions at the board usually resolve these issues. However, in rare instances when they do not, the claims will be reviewed by the MAP:HE Director or an FDLT for a final decision. The role of the External is not to adjudicate on individual claims, but to provide comments and advice to the MAP:HE Direct Route team on the assessing process, following a review of a sample of claims.
There is a Verification Board once a year where the whole course will be reviewed with the External Assessor who will produce a report on the soundness of the verification process, the quality of the decisions and feedback and the quality of the claims as well as any development feedback for the team.
4.3.3. Framework Review and Annual Verification BoardFramework Review BoardThe Framework Review Board will meet about six times a year (dates published on Blackboard, usually a 4-5 weeks after the submission deadline) to review the latest batch of claims submitted, and ensure that all the systems and processes are working as intended. In addition to making a final judgement on the claims, boards provide a place for collaborative review of provision including identifying any need for staff training and development.
The members of the Framework Review Board are: MAP:HE Director (Chair) MAP:HE Administrator Faculty Directors of Learning and Teaching Assessors of claims being submitted in the most recent batch
Samples of claims are sent to the External prior to the Board, and the External provides feedback in advance of the Board. The assessors present their feedback on each claim, and following a discussion and consideration of the External’s comments, final decisions are made on all claims at the board.
The Annual Verification Board
The Annual Verification Board meets once a year (it is usually the last board of the year, in July) and typically consists of the following people:
• Deputy Vice Chancellor (or her deputy, the Director of Learning and Teaching)• MAP:HE Administrator• External Assessor • MAP:HE Director• Faculty Directors of Learning and Teaching• Assessors of claims submitted in the most recent batch, and other assessors for the current
academic year if possible
The Annual Verification Board performs a similar role as the Framework Review Board, but in addition to this, the External and the MAP:HE Director present to the Chair and board their comments on the operations and results for the whole academic year. Areas of good practice, and elements that need to be revisited, are highlighted.
The External writes an annual report which is made available on Blackboard. The report is also shared with the Director of Learning and Teaching and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, and follows the annual monitoring process of the University. If any serious issues arise, they are discussed at the Education and Student Experience Committee.
The MAP:HE Director formally responds to the External’s report, and actions points are followed at subsequent Framework Review Boards. The MAP:HE Director also writes an annual report on MAP:HE Direct Route for Advance HE.
Communication of outcome
You should receive an email with the outcome of your claim a few days after the Board meets. In the email, you will also receive the summative feedback from the assessors.
The email is also sent to your Head of School and your FDLT. It is your responsibility to communicate your results to your mentor, and seek their support in the event that your claim is returned for further development.
What happens if my claim is returned for further development?It is sometimes the case that following summative assessment, a claim will have an outcome of “Return for further development”. There is a variety of reasons why this might happen but it is usually for one of the reasons indicated in section 4.3.1.
This outcome is not a judgement on your ability to perform your role well at CCCU or at CCCU’s partner institution. The referral is based exclusively on your claim not meeting all of the UKPSF requirements for the category of Fellowship applied for. It requires you to revise some of the content, structure and/or evidence presented in the areas identified on your feedback sheet.
You are encouraged to review the feedback provided and resubmit an amended version of your claim. You are advised to meet with your mentor and work with them to revise your claim. You may also want to refer back to the resources listed in section 3.3. of this handbook, and book a space on the next writing retreat, for example, or review the guidance which gives more information about the UKPSF.
A timescale for resubmission should be considered. As the Framework Review Board meets regularly (about 6 times a year, dates published on Blackboard), you will have ample opportunity in the year to resubmit without having to wait a long time. You may have one attempt at resubmission in the same academic year.
The format for the resubmission is: you must resubmit the entirety of your work with changes, using track changes for the written
form, or new edits/a completely new version of the narrated presentation. The length of the claim should be within the limits described in section 3.2.
4.4 Appeals and ComplaintsEvery effort has been made to ensure our judgement process is carried out fairly and accurately by trained assessors and externally assured through consideration of a sample of claims. If your claim has followed due process, the decision of the board will stand and the academic judgement of assessors cannot be the object of an appeal.
However, if you are not satisfied with process by which the judgement has been reached, if you are dissatisfied with the level or quality or support you have received to prepare you claim, or want to raise a concern in a confidential matter, you may request an informal meeting with the MAP:HE Director to discuss your concerns. If you are still not satisfied following this meeting, you must follow CCCU’s Students Procedures relating to Appeals or Complaints or CCCU’s Policy on Reporting of Serious Malpractice and Abuse (‘Whistle-blowing’).
All concerns raised by participants will be reported to the Board and reviewed to ensure they were dealt with fairly. Adjustments are made if necessary.
5. Beyond the Fellowship award
5.1 Registration with Advance HE
Following each Board, if you have been awarded the Fellowship, your status will be uploaded by the MAP:HE Administrator onto the Advance HE website, as part of the CCCU institutional record. If you are not working for CCCU, you will need to pay the relevant fee (see p. 4) to Advance HE to receive your diploma, unless your institution is registered as a member with Advance HE.
You will need to download your Fellowship certificate from the Advance HE website.
Learning and Teaching Enhancement (LTE) organise an award ceremony at the June Learning and Teaching conference each year, during which all Fellows are given their Fellowship certificates. In addition to this, you will join the university’s network of fellows and will support the enhancement of good L&T practice across the University.
5.2 Remaining in good standingThe UKPSF implicitly states that all Fellows should remain in good standing, which means that you should carry on pursuing your obligations of keeping up-to-date with good HE L&T practices, and abide to the Fellowship Code of Practice.
If your current and future roles allow it, Fellows are expected to be working towards their next award and be performing at, or out-performing, their current Fellow descriptor standard.
One good way of doing so is to record any professional development activity you take part in. You are strongly encouraged to become a mentor of new colleagues, or a mentor for the MAP:HE Direct Route, or the UCAP/PGCAP, amongst other things. Participation at L&T events within your Faculty, at CCCU-wide L&T conferences and other events, and events outside of the University, are other ways to remain in good standing. You may also consider embarking in further pedagogic research, scholarship and publications.
You should also seize the opportunities given to you to add to your CPD from a learning and teaching perspective. Events you may want to attend to develop yourself even further are listed on the Learning and Teaching Enhancement pages at https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/learning-and-teaching-enhancement/resources-for-academics/Learning-and-Teaching-Staff-Development.aspx
6. Personal dataLearning and Teaching Enhancement complies with the University Data Protection Policy (in line with GDPR), which can be found at https://cccu.canterbury.ac.uk/governance-and-legal-services/the-general-data-protection-regulation/the-general-data-protection-regulation.aspx. Use of your data will be done in accordance to the policy. Archiving will be for a duration of three years, to follow Advance HE policy.
We also follow University policy in relation to subject access to data, which can be found at https://cccu.canterbury.ac.uk/governance-and-legal-services/the-general-data-protection-regulation/subject-access-request.aspx.
LTE may retain your name as participant to the scheme for a period of up to three years to allow us to gather your feedback and consult with you.
Under GDPR, the University has a responsibility to make you aware that LTE has lawful grounds (in accordance with Data Protection Legislation) to share, and will disclose some personal data (your name, job title, level of HEA award and date when award was granted) with Advance HE so that your award is added to Advance HE records, as per our Accreditation Recognition.
7. Recommended readingTo help prepare a claim for fellowship or as a core reading list for the taught routes, the following books are very useful. A much more detailed reading list is available on the MAP:HE Blackboard.
Ashwin P (Ed) (2015) Reflective Teaching in Higher Education. London: Bloomsbury.
Kahn, P and Anderson, L (2019) Developing your Teaching: Towards Excellence (second edition). London: Routledge.
Lea J (Ed) (2015) Enhancing Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Engaging with Dimensions of Practice. Maidenhead: The Open University Press
Scales, P (2017) An Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Supporting Fellowship. London: Open University Press.
Weller S (2016) Academic Practice: Developing as a Professional in Higher Education. London: Sage.
MAP:HE 2020/21 Handbook, version 3 February 2020
